Champions League – Levelin and Alvarez score as Stuttgart draw 1-1 with ten-man Atletico Madrid.

In the third round of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, Stuttgart hosted Atletico Madrid. After 90 minutes of intense play, the two sides drew 1-1.

Stuttgart started the first half strong, quickly finding their rhythm. In the 1st minute, Marcos Llorente's misplaced cross nearly gifted a goal, but Bilal Hannus's finishing attempt failed to get past Jan Oblak. In the 11th minute, Jamie Levelin's cross from the right wing caused Giuliano Simoni to misjudge the clearance, allowing Angelo Stieler to unleash a long-range shot that forced another brilliant save from Oblak. In the 13th minute, Deniz Windaff delivered a through ball from the left, and Chris Felice broke into the box before his shot hit the side netting. In the 15th minute, Stieler's low shot from the edge of the box also failed to find the target.

In the 30th minute, Atletico Madrid finally managed their first shot of the match: Alejandro Grimaldo's corner kick from the right was headed just over by Marc Puvil. However, Puvil's clearance error six minutes later led to a lapse in Atletico's defense, allowing Levelin to unleash a long-range shot and give the home team the lead.

After the break, AC Milan launched an early attack on Stuttgart. In the 47th minute, the game took a dramatic turn: Ademola Lookman crossed from the left, and Julian Álvarez volleyed home inside the box to equalize. In the 61st minute, Pablo Barrios and Diego Simeone combined before Barrios burst into the box and unleashed a shot, which was blocked by Denis Simon. Grimaldo attempted a follow-up shot into the empty net, but he was a step too slow.

In the 64th minute, Morten Jürmand was sent off with a red card for a reckless tackle on Stiller, forcing Atlético Madrid to play with ten men for the remainder of the game. From then on, Stuttgart completely dominated the match: In the 66th minute, Lorenz Signion delivered a cross from the edge of the box, and Grisha Plemmel's header went wide to the left. In the 81st minute, Maximilian Mittelstädter took a corner from the right, and Jeff Chabert's header in the box went wide. In the 89th minute, Elmedin Demirovic, facing multiple defenders in the box, passed the ball back, and Plemmel's follow-up shot was saved by Oblak.

In the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, Mittelstädter delivered a precise long pass from midfield, and Dženan Pejčinovic's header inside the penalty area went over the crossbar. The match ended in a 1-1 draw between Stuttgart and Atlético Madrid.

Image source: Internet